Nation

Activists up in arms over animal abuse

Malnourished: Jeyashree Sivalingam, one of the rescuers, is seen standing with the Rottweiler.

PETALING JAYA: An investigation paper has been opened into a pet shop owner for animal cruelty following police reports lodged by animal welfare activists.

Since March, over 25 police reports have been lodged by members of the public against the owner, whose alleged treatment of the animals under the shop’s care had gone viral on Facebook with over 7,000 shares.

It is understood that the DPP had ordered the Department of Veterinary Services to investigate the owner for neglect of the animals.

There were also allegations that neighbours at the owner’s house in Kota Kemuning had recently complained about a terrible smell emitting from there, only to find badly neglected dogs.

However, the owner has denied the allegations.

Kemuning Residence property manager Chuntheren Ponnusamy, who helped rescue a dog from the owner’s premises, said he had received a call from a committee member that a dog was let loose in the neighbourhood on March 8. I promptly instructed one of our neighbourhood guards to catch the dog and send it back to its owner’s house.

“But I was puzzled that the dog apparently belonged to a house that was up for auction.

“Just a week ago, an auctioneer came to take pictures of the property, which was empty.

“The house owner had defaulted on maintenance fees for several months and no one had been living there.”

When Chunteren went to check on the dog, he was shocked by its condition.

“It was so thin and weak that I couldn’t even tell it was a Rottweiler,” he said, adding that he then called the owner, who said she was not in town at that time.

He then called several animal shelters before Malaysian Inde­pendent Animal Rescue (MIAR) founder Puspa Rani responded and rescued the Rottweiler.

She took it to a vet who reported that the 10-month-old dog was severely malnourished, anaemic, and suffering from tick fever.

Puspa urged the public to lodge reports against the owner if it was true that she neglected the animals under the care.